What To Do When Your Dog Is Pregnant

It is quite exciting when you find out your dog is pregnant. The idea of having puppies is thrilling and scary at the same time, especially if it is your first time. Dog pregnancies can be confusing and stressful and can overwhelm a new owner who has no idea how to take care of a pregnant dog.

Dogs are pregnant for approximately 63 days or about two months. In this short span of time, a lot of things happen and a lot of changes occur.

Here are some tips from the American
Kennel Club that you need to take note of when caring for your pregnant
dog.

How to Tell If Your Dog is Pregnant

Since there are no pregnancy tests for dogs
being sold in pharmacies, we must rely on other methods to determine if she is
indeed pregnant. The most accurate way would be through diagnostic testing. You
can bring your dog to the vet and have them test her. Signs of pregnancy
include an increase in appetite, weight gain, and increase in nipple size.

Caring for a Pregnant Dog

One of the most important things you can do
for your pregnant dog is to make sure she gets proper nutrition. You have to
feed her good quality dog food and make sure she does not go beyond or under a
healthy weight. As her weight increases in the last five weeks of her
pregnancy, you can increase her food intake gradually, until she consumes 35 to
50 percent more than usual. It is helpful to feed her small, frequent meals, as
large meals can cause discomfort.

It is also important to bring your dog to
the vet regularly. This will cause any problems to be discovered early. Your
vet can also present you with choices like spaying your dog.

Preparing for Puppies

Get a whelping box for your dog’s delivery.
You have to introduce her to the whelping box way before she is scheduled to
give birth to her puppies. This is to prevent her from giving birth in other
places like your closet.

You can check the full article here for the checklist on how to make a whelping box.

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